Better Paint
by _375_
Better Paint changes how paintings are chosen, previewed and placed, with a selection screen that groups them by size and can lock a painting against changes.
What it does
Better Paint enhances the vanilla painting system with a selection GUI. Paintings are grouped by size, such as 1x1, 2x2 and 4x4, and a large preview shows the chosen artwork before it is placed. A click on the preview places the chosen artwork at its target spot. If there is not enough room on the wall, a red message appears in the action bar instead.
A painting can be locked to preserve its artwork, so that it stays the same when it is broken and placed again. Locked paintings show a Locked indicator in the inventory tooltip, and they can still be altered by holding Ctrl and right-clicking to open the selection GUI. The transformation tools let a player change a painting in the GUI before it goes on the wall.
Installation requires Fabric API. Better Paint runs on client and server, so the server and every player need it. Files are published for Fabric, for 1.21.1 only, and the mod is open source under the MIT License.
Key features
Selection GUI
A screen lists paintings grouped by size, so a suitable artwork can be found for a given wall space.
Large preview and placement
A large preview of the selected painting appears, and a click on it places the painting at the target position.
Locked paintings
Locking keeps a painting's artwork intact across breaking and re-placing, and locked paintings are marked in the inventory tooltip.
Transform before placing
The GUI lets a player transform a painting before it is placed on the wall.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Required 1
Use cases
Decorating builds
Players who decorate large interiors can pick paintings by size and preview them before committing a wall.
Keeping favourite artwork
A locked painting keeps its artwork when it is picked up and placed again, so a chosen piece is not lost.
Who it’s for: Players who decorate builds with paintings and want to see, size and lock them before placement. Server owners can run it alongside Fabric API for the same selection screen.
How it compares
Paint The World As You See (PWAYS) is a Fabric mod for 1.21.1 – 1.21.10 that runs on client and server, and its license is All rights reserved, so it is not open source. Camera Lock On is a client-side Fabric mod for 1.21 – 1.21.11 under the GNU General Public License v3.0 only, and it is open source. Better Paint is open source under the MIT License and is published for 1.21.1 only.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Better Paint | Fabric | 1.21.1 | Client and server | 2026-07-19 |
| Paint The World As You See (PWAYS) | Fabric | 1.21.1 – 1.21.10 | Client and server | 2025-10-30 |
| Camera Lock On | Fabric | 1.21 – 1.21.11 | Client-side only | 2026-04-21 |
Questions
Does Better Paint need Fabric API?
Does the server need Better Paint?
Can a locked painting still be changed?
In the catalog
Better Paint is one of 36,990 Utility mods on ModsFinder, and one of 25,772 Utility mods for Fabric. 32,366 mods support Minecraft 1.21.1.
More from _375_
Similar mods
What the author says
Better Painting is a Fabric mod for Minecraft 1.21.1 that enhances the painting system with a selection GUI, locking mechanism, and transformation tools. Hold a painting and press Ctrl + Right-click on a wall to open the painting selection GUI.
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/better-paint-mod
- Owner
- _375_
- Published
- 2026-07-19
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-07-19
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15